Indian Literature

Unit TwoSacred Texts and Epics

Modern nation of India since 1947Before 1947, the term India was used to

describe the entire subcontinent of South Asia

Region surrounded by ocean and Himalayan Mountains

Remained mostly isolated with few invaders Most invading cultures were absorbed into

Indian culture

India Before 1947

Indus Valley Civilization- located in modern day Pakistan and western India

named for a river that runs through regionurban and highly sophisticatedMysteriously ended around 1500 B.C.

Aryans- meaning “noble”migrated to India from north and west around

1500 B.C.Brought with them hymns called the Rig Veda,

which expressed their religious ideas

Indus Valley, Aryan, and Dravidians

Dravidians- inhabited southern India in ancient times

dark-skinned, small framed peopledeveloped thriving culture in first millennium

B.C.not much known about civilization

Indus Valley, Aryan, and Dravidians

Map of India- continuously changing boundaries

greatest boundary carved out by Candragupta, ruled by his son Bindusa-ran, and expanded by his grandson Asoka

16th Century- Mongols (Islamic rulers, descendants of Genghis Khan) established an empire in north India

colonized by Britain from early 1800s-1947for most of history India has been a collection

of kingdoms and ever changing boundaries

Political History

Hinduism- predominant faith in IndiaBuddhism- virtually extinct in India but has

spread throughout Asia; Jainism, and SikhismIndia has added its own flavor to Christianity

and Islam

Religion

mixture of three early cultures: Indus Valley, Aryan, and Dravidian

the word Hindu comes from sindhu from ancient Indian language Sanskrit meaning “river” or “Indus River” and refers to both religion and social system

recognizes many gods faith centered on final reality known as brahman- foundation

of all things/existing in every being/ essential to identity or atman

society rigidly divided into groups or castes, each of which have own specific duty

No equivalent Indian word for the word “religion” because of no division between religious and secular spheres. Religious concerns are found in all aspects of life and thought.

Hinduism

Casteslearned people/priests (Brahmans)warriorsfarmers and merchantsserfs menials (due to their “low” occupations,

considered untouchable by members of other castes)

Hinduism

Jainism (7th-5th century B.C.) and Buddhism (6th-4th century B.C.) arose in protest against Hindu beliefs and complex rituals of sacrifice

Jains- Sanskrit for “saint”Jina- renounces earthly pleasures and devoted

themselves to protecting all life formsBuddhism- founded by Siddhartha Gautama, an

Indian prince“When he left the palace grounds and learned about suffering and death for the first time, he was so affected by this experience that he renounce luxury and became a wandering religious man. After years of fasting and intense study, he achieved nirvana. This Sanskrit word refers to a state of being in which desire for earthly things has been quenched and the soul therefor need not be reborn.”

Guatama was given the name Buddah, Sanskrit for “enlightened one,” to honor his achievement

Other Religions

The Sikh religion- developed in northern India about 2,000 years after Buddhism and Jainism

Rejected caste system and rituals of Hinduismbelief in a single god (monotheism)

Muslim religion came to western India in the 8th century

Later, Muslim armies invaded the north and established the Mongol empire

Ruled by Mongol emperors, the Islamic and Indian traditions mingled as evidenced by art and architecture

Other Religions

Built by a Muslim emperor after the death of his wife

Taj Mahal

numeral system originated in India called Arabic numerals because Arab traders

brought them from India to Europealso responsible for invention of the zero (0)

and decimal notationconcept of zero may have derived by Indian

religious ideologies of time and space as “limitless”

Mathematics

Indian excelled at metal working Iron Pillar of Delhi- solid metal column which

measures more than 23 feet and weighs more than 6 tons. Erected c. A.D. 400 by ruler Kumara Gupta in honor of his father

ancient Indian physicians set broken bones, knew the importance of keeping wounds clean, and developed plastic surgery long before it was practiced in Europe

Technology and Medicine

Indian sculptors and painters patronized by kings and wealthy merchants

artists travelled to spread their art, inventions, and craft

art mostly depicted religious themesvaluable historical resource- reflects daily dress,

daily life, and pastimes Frescoes- wall paintings in caves near the village at

Ajanta in western India; artificial caves created by Buddhist monks from 1st century to the 7th century A.D.; vibrant and colorful paintings on their walls depict religious themes

Painting, Sculpture, and Architecture

Frescoes

lack of separation between religion and literature

Language itself (the sound of words) considered to be sacred

exp. om during Hindu prayer- saying “yes” to the universeBelieved Sanskrit to be the perfect languageBelieved in ultimate effect of language on

emotionsSanskrit grammars, written in Panini in the

6th century, still admired by modern linguists

Literature: The Sacredness of Language

Rig Veda- hymns; earliest surviving record of Indian religious thought; homage to god and nature; sets tone of piety and devotion

Mahabharata “Great Epic of Bharata Dynasty”- longest epic poem; associated with long sacrificial rituals; divided into many small episodes

Ramayana “Romance of Rama”- epic hero Rama is one of the forms of the Hindu god Vishnu. Rama, assisted by an army of monkeys led by the monkey general Hanuman, battles the evil demon Ravana.

Literature: Ancient Hymns and Epics

the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are still very popular in modern India

people dramatize the events in these epics in colorful pageants, plays, dances, and puppet shows

Literature: Epics and Story Telling

ancient Indian culture placed great importance on memory

traditional way of learning in India was to memorize completely and perfectly and then hear the teacher explain it

students of the Rig Veda memorized 1,028 hymns in several different versions, in order to learn the difference between the correct way and the incorrect way

this dedication preserved the original texts from 1500 B.C. to the present.

texts were also written, but Indians believed that trusting a written medium was too great a risk

Literature: The Importance of Memory

no literary genres like novel or short storyconsists mostly of poetry and dramaSome myths and fables with abstract principles- use

vivid language and characters are disarmingly naïve; help people fulfill their dharma (uniques obligations of life)

Kalidasa- considered greatest Indian poet (the Sanskrit Shakespeare)

Indian Literature continues to influence modern day culture. It has had a profound influence on Transcendental authors such as Thoreau and Emerson

Literature: The Evolution of Sanskrit Literature